Calling New Contributors - Help Us Improve the OpenTelemetry Onboarding Experience
If you’ve ever thought about contributing to OpenTelemetry but weren’t sure where to start, you’re not alone. In a recent community survey, we heard that people were excited to contribute but got stuck taking those first steps. Contributing to open source can feel daunting, and we want to change that.
That’s why we’re launching a new research study focused on the new contributor experience. We want to understand what’s working well, where people are having issues, and how we can better support community members who want to get involved.
Why we’re doing this
As an open source project, OpenTelemetry thrives on community contributions. If new contributors struggle to get started, it’s frustrating for them and slows down the overall project.
The recent survey results uncovered some challenges: from finding the right documentation, to setting up their environment, to figuring out where to ask for help. We’re grateful that the data helped us understand what is challenging, but now we’d like to learn more about why those things are challenging.
What the research study involves
We’re looking to talk with people who:
- Are new to contributing to OpenTelemetry, or
- Have tried to contribute but found the process difficult.
Through short interviews, we’ll learn about what worked, what didn’t, and what could make it easier for you (and others) to get started.
Every experience matters, whether you’ve already submitted multiple pull requests or never got past the “I want to help” stage.
How to participate
If you’re interested in joining the study, we’d love to hear from you! Sign up here.
Participation involves a short interview with our research team, and your feedback will be used to improve the OpenTelemetry contributor experience for everyone.
Help build the future of OpenTelemetry
Open source is strongest when it’s inclusive and accessible. By sharing your perspective, you’ll play a direct role in shaping a smoother path for future contributors.
We can’t wait to learn from you and make contributing to OpenTelemetry a more welcoming journey.